


In This Town (don't we love it now)

by Miss_Princess_Blake



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Nightmare Before Christmas Fusion, Curses, F/M, Halloween, Halloween Town (Nightmare Before Christmas), Halloweentown - Freeform, Magic, Supernatural AU - Freeform, basically just 11k of indulgent magical fluff, dubious magical lore, just a lot of fluff, thebellarkescord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27297559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Princess_Blake/pseuds/Miss_Princess_Blake
Summary: After Jack's misadventures combining Halloween and Christmas, the veil between worlds was lower than it had ever been. And that meant new visitors - and new residents.When Bellamy Blake and his sister moved to town they come with secret pasts and stories they don't tell. While they have charmed their way into Clarke's group of friends, she is less willing to accept these strangers.When a curse overtakes the town, will Bellamy and Clarke figure out what's happening in time to save them? Or is he somehow involved?
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29
Collections: bellarkescord halloween gift exchange





	In This Town (don't we love it now)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [swainlake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/swainlake/gifts).



> I interrupt my normally scheduled programming to wish you all a happy Halloween!
> 
> I took part in this year's amazing exchange and was so excited to get a wonderful giftee and write this fun piece. I will be the first to admit its insanely self-indulgent ad fun. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Stay safe and stay spoopy!

  


Clarke was doing her best to temper her annoyance as she made her way through town. Honestly, everyone who lived here was just so damn nosy. So they had a couple of new residents. So what? It wasn’t like there was anything exciting about them.

True, it had been more than five hundred years since someone new had moved to town. But they had had visitors. And that had been increasing ever since Jack’s big “Christmas” adventure last year. Something about the veil between worlds being lower than before? Whatever. Clarke wasn’t worried about it.

Though it seemed her Halloween Town neighbors did not agree since these new arrivals seemed to be the only thing anyone wanted to talk about. They had already been here two weeks and still were all anyone seemed to care about. She had seen the girl around once or twice but hadn’t met either of the siblings yet. All she knew was a sister and brother had moved to town and she wasn’t interested enough to learn anything more.

As she reached Raven’s lab she had just about hit her limit for how much of the gossip she could take.

“I swear to Morgana that I am going to hex the next person who talks to me about the new residents of Halloween Town,” Clarke said as she threw herself into the desk chair Raven wasn’t currently inhabiting.

The woman in question was busy with her head stuck beneath some large mechanical contraption Clarke was sure she didn’t want to know the use for. Raven didn’t even bother coming out to respond. “Bellamy and Octavia,” she said, “in case you were wondering.”

Clarke leveled a glare at her best friend, even though the girl couldn’t see her. “I wasn’t.”

Raven laughed and pulled herself out from under the machine. “What’s your deal with them anyway? Why do you have such a problem with the fact that they’ve moved to town.”

Clarke scoffed, sending little curls and spirals of magic into the air. “It’s not that I have a problem with them exactly,” she said, “I’m sure they are perfectly nice. I just don’t understand why everyone is so obsessed with them. I just wish I didn’t constantly have to hear about them.”

Raven smirked as she wiped green, glowing grease from her hands. If her friend wasn’t already dead, Clarke would probably be worried that stuff would kill her. She was certainly going to stay away from it, at any rate, Raven could do as she pleased.

“Well it’s good you don’t have a problem with them,” Raven said, cheeky as ever, “since they are going to be at Jasper and Monty’s party tonight.”

Clarke groaned and let her head fall back, willing her magic to calm down. The last thing she needed was her annoyance to make something in Raven’s lab explode. Again.

The whole reason Clarke was even at Raven’s was so she could open a portal for them to get to Monty’s. It wasn’t like she could back out now. Didn’t mean she couldn’t try though.

“Oh no,” Clarke deadpanned, “I suddenly have a headache. So sad. Can’t go.”

Raven laughed. “Come on Clarke, it won’t be that bad. I’ve only met them once but they seem alright. Octavia is a fairly newly turned vampire so she is a little cold but she’s nice enough. Bellamy is a werewolf and absolutely your type. We’ll have fun.”

“One,” Clarke replied as she started to cast the circle that would open to Monty’s backyard, “I don’t have a type. Two, I am not looking to date after the absolute chaos that was dating a succubus last summer. Or, the both literal and figurative two-face the year before that.”

“That’s fair,” Raven said. “Lexa was kind of the worst. All sex, no feelings? Fun for a night but certainly not forever. And you know we don’t talk about Finn.”

“So, we are in agreement then?” Clarke said. “You won’t try to set me up with the werewolf.”

Raven simply smirked and stepped through the portal. Clarke sighed and knew her requests were futile. It was going to be a very long night.

When she got to the party she was unsurprised to be faced with a house full of people, drinks flowing in an unending magical supply, and food she wouldn’t touch without supervision because there was no guarantee what would happen if you did. Especially if Jasper was involved with the cooking. Clarke smiled and shook her head at their antics. She wasn’t sure what else she should have expected when two of her best friend’s were trickster spirits. 

As she made her way through the crowd she grabbed a jar of moonshine as that was usually the safest bet and then went looking for her friends. She knew to avoid the living room as not only was that where John Murphy was likely to be cheating at fire pong but also it was just best for Clarke to avoid that game altogether.

Stepping out onto the front porch she finally found her group and smiled.

“Clarke you made it,” Harper said, hugging her tight. “I see you found Monty’s latest creation. He said he’s getting it ready for the big Halloween bash!”

“It’s going to be great,” Monty said, coming over to join them. “We’re calling it black widow venom. It’s got a base of cinnamon and apple vodka with a hint of last month’s blackberry moonshine for color. I also had Kane donate a bit of vampire venom for the heady quality and Sally added some worm’s wart to help make the flavor smooth.”

“That last part was my idea,” Jasper told her, hugging her as well. “What do you think?”

“It’s delicious,” she said. “With those ingredients, you are sure to blow everyone away for Halloween, not to mention get them drunk as hell.”

“You guys are really into Halloween here,” a girl with long brown hair and pointed teeth said from the corner.

“Well yeah,” Clarke said. “In Halloween Town, we are responsible for Halloween in all worlds, not just our own. We spend the year planning for it and improving it. It’s a big job and it takes us all to get it right. This year is particularly important because of the little issue we had last year. So everyone has been going out of their way to make this the best Halloween yet.”

“But why are you responsible for the holiday?” Octavia asked. “I mean, me and my brother lived in the mortal world before coming here and they seemed to do just fine on their own. What’s your role?”

“Well,” Levitt chimed in from his place on the stairs, grinning at the new girl, “there’s more to a holiday than just some cheap, plastic decorations or carving pumpkins. We give Halloween its scare, if you will. We are responsible for the shadows on the moon and the movement out of the corner of your eye. We are the fog in the trees and the howls in the woods. Everything the mortals do is simply an imitation of the world we’ve created for them. We provide the magic.”

Octavia grinned, not looking away from him. “That’s so cool.”

“It really is,” Clarke said, regaining the girl’s attention. “It’s nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Clarke.”

“I’m Octavia,” she said, shaking Clarke’s hand. “Sorry if I was being insensitive or whatever. This is all totally new to me. Even though my brother was born magical I wasn’t. Our mom was mortal and she wanted us to grow up normal. But after the veil between our worlds thinned, and with me a newish vampire, we thought it was best to be around people more like us so I could learn to control my fangs and the blood lust.”

“Well you are very welcome here,” Clarke said with a smile.

As the party went on, Clarke found her earlier reservations about the new people may have been unfounded. Octavia, while young, was funny and smart and very willing to learn. Jasper and Monty took to her quickly. That was going to be a dangerous trio, Clarke could tell. But the night was fun and the moonshine was strong. Clarke found she was having more fun than she had in a while.

She was thrilled to see people she hadn’t for some time. Wells arrived early, back from his trip to the mortal realm as he got things set up with the other nature fae to get ready for the change of seasons. He and his husband, Roan, were always the first to get set up and the first to come home. Because Wells was the fae of summer and Roan the fae of autumn they spent a few weeks there yearly, essentially passing the torch and bringing in the new season.

Gaia had even made it to the party. As one of the town’s high witches, she spent most of her time traveling the realms, helping out of place demons and magic users find their way. The woman told her of a young witch she had found at an orphanage in the mortal realm who was just coming into her powers. Gaia was working on getting the girl, Madi, to be able to come here. Clarke even volunteered to help teach her.

All in all, the night was turning out to be a great success.

Even John Murphy coming outside bragging to Nate Miller about his crushing the competition in fire pong and his attempts to entice Clarke into a game couldn’t ruin her fun as she planted a huge kiss on his cheek.

“I see the princess has had a few drinks,” Murphy said with a laugh. “Does this mean we’re friends again?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “We were always friends, even when you are a dirty, rotten cheat,” she said with a laugh. “Besides, it’s Halloween time! It’s the best time of the year. The streets are darker, there are cobwebs in every window, even the bats have come out in higher numbers this year. The Pumpkin King is back and this year will be the best one of all.”

Murphy laughed and ruffled her hair before settling next to Raven. “Such town spirit, Jack better keep an eye on you or you’re going to steal his job.”

“What’s the point of all of this?” said the man who had come outside with Murphy holding a smoking drink and sulking in the corner.

Clarke quirked an eyebrow at him. “What’s the point of all of what?”

“This obsession with Halloween,” he said. “And this Pumpkin King I keep hearing about. That’s all anyone has talked about since we got here. It’s just another holiday. I get that it’s, like, the entire purpose of this place. But don’t you think life should be about more than Halloween?”

“You must be Bellamy,” Clarke said with a saccharine smile. “It’s not an obsession, it’s literally our jobs. Besides, we like Halloween and Jack is actually really nice and helpful. Is that so wrong? If you have such a problem with Halloween then why move here?”

“It’s not that I have a problem with Halloween in general,” he said, pushing himself off of the railing towards her. “I mean, there isn’t much to it so it’s not like it’s that exciting. Trick or Treating, some pumpkins, maybe some scary stuff. But that’s it. I don’t see why the singular focus of this town is on one lackluster holiday. In the mortal realm, they just focus on it for like a month and then move on. Life is about more than just scaring people. Why can’t we just be monsters living our lives instead of following some ridiculous king and letting a holiday control our lives?”

“So I ask again,” she said, standing as well, not letting his towering height or the heat radiating off of him get to her, “why are you here?”

“That’s none of your business, princess,” he said with a sneer, but the look that flashed in his eyes was one she couldn’t place. It was almost like she had hurt his feelings, but her anger outweighed her guilt..

Clarke could feel the magic prickling in her fingertips but ignored it. “First of all, don’t call me that. Second, insulting The Pumpkin King in a town that adores him is probably not the best idea. And third, you don’t know the first thing about us or our town, Bellamy Blake.”

Her magic pulsed out of her then, causing Belllamy to stumble back a bit. His eyed widened a moment before they narrowed to a glare.

“Alright,” Wells said, as he sent some of his calming energy into the room, “I think it’s time to break this up a bit. Don’t need Clarke here catching the couch on fire.”

“Although it would certainly be a show,” Jasper said, chuckling.

When she finally turned away she realized everyone had been staring at them. Clarke felt herself flush. Despite her temper, she wasn’t typically the type to make a scene. There was just something about that damned werewolf that got under her skin.

“Sorry guys,” Clarke said, “I’m just going to head home.”

“No,” Monty said, putting his arm around her shoulders, “don’t leave. The party is just getting started. Besides, it’s not like there haven’t been worse fights at these things.”

“Oh yeah,” Jasper said. “Remember the year that Harper and Roma broke up? I know Roma is a phoenix but did she have to catch fire in the middle of the living room? There are still scorch marks on the rug that even Clarke’s magic can’t get out.”

“Or the time Finn showed up after cheating on Raven and she screamed, nearly making the whole house deaf?” Harper said.

When it was clear that her friend’s had gotten lost in memories of party’s past, Clarke took the opportunity to try to slip out. Octavia put a hand on her shoulder before she could, however.

“Don’t leave,” Octavia said, glaring at Bellamy. “I know my brother is an asshole but don’t let him ruin everything. We were just becoming friends.”

“You know what,” Bellamy said, “I think I’ll just leave. It’s for the best anyway.”

With that, he left. Miller gave Clarke a sheepish shrug and Murphy whispered something in Raven’s ear before they both left too, following their friend. Octavia looked torn as her brother slammed the screen door shut and made his way back through the party.

Clake took a long drink of her moonshine and plopped on the couch next to Harper. “Man he’s a jerk.”

Raven laughed. “Maybe you should just screw him and put us all out of our misery.”

Everyone laughed and Clarke just glared.

“He really isn’t that bad,” Monty told her. “He’s funny and really smart. He just seems to have a bit of an aversion to Halloween.”

Clarke snorted. “Yeah,” she quipped, “just a bit.”

Monty smiled and they all went back to talking about other things.

So the night went on and they had fun. But Clarke kept that fight in the back of her mind along with the haunted look behind his eyes when she asked why he was here. There was more to this story. Maybe Clarke had been too quick to jump on the offensive.

Still, despite her friend's opinions, she can tell he was arrogant, full of himself, and a jerk. No matter what his story was, nothing could change that.

The next day, Clarke was in her apothecary shop getting some ingredients ready for her mother, the town’s healer witch. She was just crushing up some beetles when the door chimed. Looking up, she smiled.

“Octavia,” Clarke said, “It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” the girl replied. “I had a really good time last night with your friends and you. Monty and Jasper even took me to their favorite cafe this morning and pointed out all of the best spots for vampires in town. You have a really good group of people here.”

“Thanks,” Clarke said, “I’m glad you like it here. Although, I do have to ask, what exactly are you doing here, in my shop? Not that I don’t appreciate the company but I can’t say I exactly expected to see you today.”

“No,” Octavia said, “you wouldn’t have. But I wanted to come to talk to you about my brother.”

“You don’t need to,” Clarke said. “I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice person. But you can’t get along with everyone. He and I just don’t see eye to eye. It’s no big deal. He doesn’t have to like me. I just wish he hadn’t insulted everything I care about, everything I have built my life around.”

Octavia sighed. “It’s not his fault,” she said, fidgeting. “Monty was right when he guessed that Bellamy has an aversion to Halloween. The only reason we even knew about Halloween Town was because of who his father was.”

“Would you like to sit?” Clare asked. “I could make us some tea.”

“That sounds great.”

As the tea steeped Clarke watched her new friend. It was clear the girl was nervous but strong. Whatever had happened to them must have taken a toll. Clarke passed over a mug as they sat by a table in the back.

Octavia wamed her hands on the warm porcelain a moment, staring into the dark liquid for a while, quiet and deep in thought. 

Finally she seemed to gather the courage to tell her story. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” the girl admitted, “but you deserve the truth. See, his father was a werewolf from this town and came to the mortal realm for Halloween. He got our mom pregnant with Bell and then left. She was stuck caring for a half-werewolf baby with no help at barely nineteen. He’s always kind of blamed Halloween Town for that. He just assumed that everyone from here saw mortals as disposable and unimportant.”

“I understand how that would give someone a bad impression,” Clarke replied. “But he has to have changed his mind to some extent if he was willing to move here.”

Octavia chuckled but her eyes showed how little humor there was for her. “That’s a longer and much more depressing story.”

Clarke put a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “I’m willing to listen if you want to tell me.”

“Alright”, Octvia said with a frown, “see we moved here for me.” 

As she continued her story, Octavia began to pace. “Unlike Bell, I was born mortal. But a few years ago, my boyfriend and I got bit by a vampire.”

Octavia took a steadying breath, a tear falling down her cheek. Clarke conjured her a handkerchief. 

“Thanks,” Octavia told her, “it’s not easy to talk about.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want,” Clarke said, “no pressure.”

“I know,” Octavia said, “but I want to.”

Taking a seat back at the table, Octavia cleared her throat and continued.”I turned but my boyfriend died.”

Clarke gasped but stayed quiet, sensing there was more.

“Bellamy did his best to help me but I was angry and sad. Lincoln was the love of my life. I ended up killing the vampire that sired me, Pike. When that happened, Bellamy and my mother knew he had to get me away. When the veil between our worlds became thinner last year, when Jack found Christmas Town and all that, my mother knew it was my best chance. So she told Bellamy to bring me here.”

“I am truly sorry that happened to you.” Clarke replied. “Is it better for you, at least? Being here?

“Yes and no” she responded. “I miss my mom a lot and my friends. But they wouldn’t be safe around me if I can’t get my thirst under control. Kane has been really kind though, helping get me trained and teaching me about ethical blood sources. He’s your stepfather, right?”

“He is,” Clarke said. “He and my friend Wells’s father actually founded the town a few centuries ago. It was a place that we could harness our scaring and our magic and our abilities with no risk from the mortals. It was Jack and Kane who came up with the idea of bringing our beloved Halloween to the mortal people.”

“I get that more now,” Octavia said. “And if you give him time I know that Bellamy will see that too. He won’t be angry forever. I think you two could be friends.”

Before Clarke could respond, the bell over her door rang as someone came in.

“Hey O,” Bellamy’s voice said from the front of the store, “ready to head home?”

“Hello,” Clarke said, smiling cautiously.

“Oh,” Bellamy said, with a surprising flush creeping up his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t realize this was your shop.”

“Yes,” Clarke said. “This is what I do. You know, when I’m not obsessing over Halloween that is.”

Bellamy scrubbed at the back of his neck. “I deserved that,” he said.

“You really did,” she said, holding her hand out to him. “But it’s fine. Let’s start over. I’m Clarke Griffin, your local apothecary witch, and stepdaughter to town founder and vampire mentor to your sister, Marcus Kane. So yeah, I kind of love Halloween.”

“And I’m Bellamy Blake,” he said, shaking her offered hand. “Newest resident werewolf and the all-around jackass who did not handle his fire shots well last night, apparently. Apologies?”

Clarke narrowed her eyes at him a moment and tapped her chin but then smiled. “Accepted.”

“Glad to hear it,” he told her with a smile that she absolutely did not find attractive. “But we really do need to go.”

“Bye Clarke,” Octavia said, hugging her.

“See you soon, princess” Bellamy said with a wink as he left.

“Don’t call me that!” she called after him but he was already gone.

A few minutes later, Raven came into her shop. “Did I just see Bellamy Blake make his way out of your front door?” she asked with a razor-sharp grin that Clarke knew spelled trouble.

“Before you get any ideas,” Clarke said quickly, “he was just picking up his sister who had stopped by while she was in town with the Trickster Twins.”

“If that’s all it was then why are you getting so defensive?” Raven smirked.

“I’m launching a preemptive strike against your meddling,” Clarke replied, not missing a beat.

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes as she propped herself up on the counter. “I still think you want to jump his bones. I saw the two of you last night. All that sparring was basically just verbal foreplay. I vote you just do the horizontal tango and spare us all the heated bickering we all had to witness last night.”

Clarke turned to Raven with hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at her friend. “So if you’re going to bring up Bellamy Blake and our so-called sexual chemistry then does that mean I get to ask you what John Murphy was whispering in your ear before he left?”

“No,” Raven blushed and hopped back to the ground. “Whatever, just ignore me then. But you’ll see. I give it two weeks before you go from tongue lashings to tongues dancing.”

“Gross,” Clarke shuddered. “Get out of here so I can get some damn work done.”

Raven laughed, loud and shrill, as she made her way out of the store. The sound made Clarke’s ears ring.

Over the next few days, things seemed to change between her and Bellamy. Her friends loved him which meant that Bellamy was around all the time. And while yes, they did still bicker, their words weren’t filled with as much vitriol as they were that first night.

In fact, they almost seemed kind of… flirty. And the truth was, Clarke didn't really mind.

Bellamy and his sister had been getting more involved with the town as well. Octavia was sewing patches into the scarecrow’s overalls and decorating the front gates with spider webs and old snake skins to give them texture. Even Bellamy had come up with some inventive new ways for the werewolf pack to get close enough to homes so residents could hear their howls but still remain hidden in the shadows.

Eventually, Clarke’s curiosity got the better of her. “Why are you helping?” 

Bellamy grinned and shrugged. “Maybe someone convinced me I didn’t know enough about this town. Thought I should give it a fair chance before making assumptions. She seemed like she knew what she was talking about.”

Clarke huffed and walked away, the feeling of his eyes on her back all the way until she got inside of her shop.

Even still, Clarke couldn’t help but watch him. This Bellamy, who smiled at the skeleton band and helped ghouls cross the street, who decorated and planned and carved pumpkins, was a far cry from the arrogant boy she had assumed him to be.

But with Halloween just a couple of weeks away, Clarke made sure she kept much too busy to look at it too closely. She didn’t have time for anything else anyway. So she did her best to not let her mind spend too much time thinking about Bellamy Blake or the way his smile made her stomach feel like she had swallowed some of Oogie Boogie’s bugs.

He didn’t make it easy though. One day he would come over and help her move boxes into town. The next he was at her shop, supposedly running errands. Nearly every day it was something, always with some excuse. The interactions were short and clearly on purpose. But still, it seemed her attempts at staying away were mostly successful.

However, as she got the fog potions for the cemeteries ready one morning, her attempts to not obsess over his freckles or his curls were effectively thwarted when Bellamy came sauntering into her shop and didn’t even try to play off why.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said with a crease between his eyebrows that she only just stopped herself from smoothing out with her thumb.

Clarke cleared her throat. “I have not,” she insisted. “I saw you last night at the town meeting and the afternoon before at your sister’s planning lunch. In fact, I’m fairly certain you’ve found excuses to see me every day this week. That’s more than I see my own mother!”

“Yes,” Bellamy said with a flirtatious smile, leaning his forearms against her countertop. She tried her best to focus on her annoyance that he was smudging the surface instead of how good his arms looked in his rolled-up henley. “That is all true. But that’s not what I mean. Every time I try to talk to you, just you, you always find some excuse to walk away or someone to interrupt us.”

Clarke huffed and turned away from him to hide her flushed cheeks. She disguised it by sending a spell to rearrange the crystals on the shelf behind the register.

Bellamy, who had proved as of late that he had no concept of boundaries, moved beside her behind the counter. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked, tilting his head. “It’s just, well, I kind of thought we were starting to be friends.”

“We are,” Clarke tells him, meeting his eye and not allowing herself to waver. “Of course we are. I haven’t been avoiding you. I’m just very busy. I’m sure we can spend some time together after Halloween.”

Bellamy flashed her a wolfish smile and Clarke melted. “Do you promise? Because I really would like to get to know you better. Maybe we could get a drink or something”

Clarke smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. “I’d like that.” She told him, not thinking before she spoke, and feeling the flush flood her cheeks immediately. Even Bellamy looked surprised at her admission.

Before they could say anymore, the door slammed open. Clarke looked up only to be met with a wide-eyed and frantic looking Jasper.

“Have you seen Maya?” he asked, looking around as if she would be hiding behind a bookshelf or display case. “She’s missing.”

“I haven’t Jasper,” Clarke said, “when did you last see her?”

“Yesterday morning,” he said, wringing his hands. “She was acting really weird. I asked if she wanted to help me set the traps in the abandoned church maze for the festival. Normally she loves helping with my tricks. But she said she didn’t feel like it. When I asked what she’d rather do instead she just shrugged and said she was heading home. I haven’t seen her since.”

“Did you guys get in a fight or anything?” Clarke asked, pulling a calming draught down for her friend. He downed it in one and shook his head.

“Up until yesterday, things have been fine. She did say she had been feeling a little tired but I didn’t think much of it. Do you think she’s ok?”

Bellamy clapped Jasper on the shoulder. “I’m sure she’s fine,” he said with a small smile. “Perhaps she’s just resting. But we can help look for her. Does that sound good?”

Jasper let out a shaky breath. “Yeah, thanks. I’m going to head back out to see if Josie has seen her at the library at all.”

“Good call,” Clake said, a knot forming in her stomach. “We’ll let you know if we hear anything.”

Clarke waited until Jasper left and then flipped the lock and set the sign to closed.

“I’m getting worried,” Clarke said and she peered into her scrying glass to see if she could see anything, but all there seemed to be was darkness. She sighed. “Maya isn’t the first person to start acting strange lately, although she is the first to disappear. I think something more sinister might be happening here.”

Bellamy furrowed his brow and looked over his shoulder at the front door, deep in thought. “You may be right,” he said. “I think I’m going to go talk to my sister, see if she’s seen anything out of the ordinary. Lord knows she is a lot more social than I am.”

“Good idea,” she replied. “I’m going to see if Raven knows anything.”

Bellamy smiled but it did not reach his eyes. “Good luck, Clarke.”

“You too,” and then he was gone.

As she finished closing up her shop for the day, Clarke couldn't help but feel a change in the air. Something about the world seemed brighter, the streets cleaner, no broken street lights or spiders in sight. With seven days left until Halloween, this was all wrong. She quickened her steps on her way to the mad scientist's lab.

“Ray?” Clarke called, entering the upper tower and finding the woman hunched over her computer, good leg pulled up to her chest.

“Have you seen this,” Raven said without greeting. “Preparations for the festival are way behind. Murphy didn’t show up for his graveyard shift this morning, Levitt dropped out of being one of the demons for the haunted hayride, and even the number of bats around town seems to be dropping. And Murphy’s missing. I usually see him at least every day or two. The other stuff I could maybe excuse, but Murphy? He’s never like that, especially with me. What the hell is going on?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Clarke said. “I think something bad is happening. Maya didn’t even want to help Jasper with his pranks.”

Raven turned to Clake for a moment with a frown before looking back at her computer. “My calculations seem to point to things beginning to change about thirteen days ago. And it's getting worse quickly.”

As Raven spoke, the wheels in Clarke’s head began turning. Thirteen days, that couldn’t be a coincidence. “Raven,” Clarke said, anger freezing the blood under her skin, threatening to turn the air around her to ice, “I know who’s behind this.”

“You do,” Raven said, puzzled.

“Do you think it’s just a coincidence that these happenings line up with the Blake’s arrival?” Clarke said, pacing the floor. “Don’t you think it’s a little weird that just days after Bellamy frickin’ Blake complains about our town’s obsession with Halloween that suddenly people seem to be losing their desire for Halloween? And now people that spoke up at that very same party are missing or changing?”

“Clarke,” Raven said, “I mean, come on. Isn’t that a bit of a stretch? I know you don’t like the guy but how would he even go about sabotaging an entire town and holiday. He isn’t magic and neither is his sister.”

“No,” Clarke said, “but who’s to say he doesn’t have an in with a warlock or some fae? He’s charming and charismatic. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been too difficult to convince someone to do some magic for him.”

“Please don’t get carried away with this,” Raven said. “We need more evidence before we go accusing anyone.”

Clarke sighed. “You’re right,” she said, “but I still need to go talk to him.”

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Raven replied.

“No,” Clarke admitted, “but unless you have any other ideas I think it’s the only choice.”

Raven studied her face a moment and then nodded. “Just,” she paused, blowing out a breath, “please try to be nice.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “I’m always nice.”

As Clarke made her way to Bellamy's house, not far from the center of town, she felt that there was something obvious she was missing. Why would Bellamy do this? He brought Octavia here to keep her safe. So that she could learn. Was it possible that was all a lie?

But, if it was, Octavia would have to be in on it. With how blunt and forthcoming the girl was, Clarke doubted she could hide malicious intent that well. And Bellamy wouldn't do this without his sister, she didn’t think. She might not have known that much about the Blake siblings, but she did know that they looked out for each other, no matter what. His sister was his responsibility. 

Clarke used the walk to ground herself and put up some protection wards, both against whatever she was walking into and her own negative emotions. She had promised Raven to be nice and not jump to conclusions. All she could do was try.

Knocking on his door, she heard some rustling inside before Bellamy’s voice. “Just a minute.” Bellamy’s eyes widened when he opened the door. “Oh, hi.”

When he opened the door in a pale blue sweater and glasses the breath was knocked out of her. Focus. She cleared her throat and fixed him with what she hoped was a serious stare. “Hey,” she said, “can we talk?”

Bellamy looked at her a moment with hesitation in his eyes before he beckoned her inside.

Clarke took a moment to look around. The house was simple but comfortable Though they hadn’t lived here long, there was already a quiet, red hot energy of Bellamy and the chaotic, smoldering orange energy of Octavia pulsing through its walls. Clake couldn’t help but feel the way her cool, blue energy mixed with theirs and felt like it belonged. She took a breath, shaking off the feeling, and turned to Bellamy.

“Look,” she said, “I have to ask you this. Raven did some digging and it seems that the weird behavior, the town changing, the disappearances? Those all started almost exactly when you got here. I have to know. Are you involved in this?”

Bellamy narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“It’s just,” she started, “well, you have made it abundantly clear that you don’t like it here, in this town. You hate Halloween, no matter how justified your reasons. And all of the people who have been disappearing or changing were people who defended Halloween Town the night of the party. It’s hard not to be suspicious.”

Bellamy scoffed and crossed his arms against his chest, shaking his head. “So this is what you think of me,” he said. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Silly me for thinking that we had gotten past that damn party. Silly me for thinking you were starting to trust me. But no, of course not. You're still the same stuck up, know it all, princess who can never be wrong that I thought you were.”

“Now wait just a minute-” she started before he cut her off.

“No,” Bellamy exclaimed. “How dare you. I know I was a jerk at that party and I’ve apologized for that. How dare you come into my house throwing out baseless accusations about me and my involvement in whatever the hell is happening in this town. These people are my friends too, Clarke! I know I haven’t been here long but they are. Just get out.”

With that he strode over to the door and threw it open, causing it to crash into the wall. Clarke flinched at the sound.

“Bellamy-” Clarke said but he cut her off again.

Where before there was anger, though, now he just seemed defeated. “Just leave,” he said, eyes boring into hers.

She paused a beat and then nodded once, leaving the way she had come. That really couldn’t have gone worse than it did.

For days she didn’t see him except from afar. She had to admit, she could have handled things better. Ever since she talked to him, her magic felt drained and off-kilter. But her sense was that her problems weren’t related to what the others were experiencing.

No, her magic was simply off balance because she felt ashamed.

Meanwhile, things in the town continued to get worse. The shop fronts were looking more modern and repaired, the skies were sunny with hardly a cloud in sight, and the people of the town all seemed melancholy and lacking any fun or fright.

It was almost like they were becoming mortal.

Her fears continued to grow when she tried to visit Raven again and found her lab closed up and the woman in question gone.

It was standing in front of the locked tower that Bellamy literally ran into her, grasping her forearms so tightly it nearly hurt.

“Clarke,” he said quickly, voice shaking and hair a mess as if he had been running his hands through it, “I need your help. It’s Octavia, she’s gone.”

In that moment Clarke knew for sure, Bellay wasn’t causing this. “I’ll help you,” she said. “Let’s find our friends.”

“Thank you,” he said, eyes pleading.

No, it wasn’t Bellamy. Part of her had known since she talked to him that day. But if it wasn’t him, then who?

Clarke grasped Bellamy’s hands, worried and confused. They had no leads, no help, and she suspected they were running out of time.

But while she had promised to help Bellamy, the truth was, she had no idea where to start. Still, they would do it together. After all, if it could affect people like Raven, Murphy, Maya, and Octavia it could affect them all.

“So I think before anything else we should do some research,” Clarke said. “See if we can find anything that matches the events that have been happening or the symptoms that the town and the people have been dealing with.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bellamy said, “but where are we going to go? I’ve already been to the library but even the books there are becoming less and less magical and more… well, normal I guess. Where are we going to find what we are looking for?”

Clarke sighed. “I have an idea.”

Clarke began to walk off with Bellamy beside her, both lost in thought. Though she didn’t want to have to ask her mother for help she knew that the best chance they had of finding answers was in her library.

As they walked, Clarke looked at the man beside her. Despite how she had treated him, he still trusted her. She wished she could have trusted him sooner.

“Bellamy,” she said, “I’m sorry I accused you. That wasn’t fair.”

“I appreciate that,” he told her, “but I do understand. It’s not like I have given you the chance to see me differently. And you were right, I did hate Halloween. But my reasons were not because of this town.”

“Octavia told me,” Clarke admitted.

Bellamy shook his head, fondly. “Of course she did,” he stopped walking for a moment and turned to her. “I won’t go back over the maudlin details again, but at least you understand some of why. But being here, seeing all of you in action, it’s hard to keep feeling the same. Especially you. How could anyone hate Halloween when they look at your smile as you plan out spells or brew potions? You, Clarke, are the reason I’ve changed my mind.”

Clarke couldn’t help flushing, unsure what to say. She cleared her throat. “I’m glad you’re here,” she told him quietly. “Not just right now, helping me, but I mean in this town. I’m glad I have the chance to know you.”

Bellamy squeezed her hand and then the pair set off again. He didn’t let go.

Not five minutes later, Clarke found herself knocking on the large, oak doors of her mother’s manor on the hill. Luckily, judging from the storm clouds above it and the bats hanging from its eaves, the town’s affliction hadn’t reached here yet. Her mom was sure to have countless protection spells in place against this sort of thing. Clarke just hoped they would hold.

As the door swung open, a tired and harried Abby Griffin opened the door. “Clarke? What are you doing here?”

Her mother gave both her and Bellamy a once over before her lips narrowed. Clarke just barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

“Hi, Mom,” she said, “it’s nice to see you too. Can’t believe all the happenings in town either. How nice of you to introduce yourself to my friend Bellamy, I’m sure he’s glad to meet you too. Oh, you want to invite us in for tea? Well, thank you but we haven’t got much time. We are trying to solve a mystery, you see.”

“Enough with the sarcasm,” she said, stepping aside to let them through. “I’m sorry. You’re right, it is nice to see you. And of course, I can have the elves bring you some tea if you want it. I’m just a tad busy at the moment and don’t really have time to visit. As you mentioned, a lot is going on in town right now. And as the main healer witch, I’ve kind of had my hands full. It’s too bad I don’t have more help.”

“Very pointed mother,” Clarke replied, “you should work on your subtlety. As it is, we actually are here about what’s been going on. Raven’s shop was boarded up, Bellamy’s sister is missing, and even the town itself seems to be changing. We were hoping to use your library for research.”

Abby smiled a bit sadly. “I appreciate you wanting to help,” she said, “but I’ve looked over that library a hundred times, done locator spell after locator spell to try to find information, and I have a feeling I know what’s happening but not how or why. And worst of all, I don’t see any way of undoing it. I will happily share the little I’ve found, though.”

Abby turned, beckoning them to follow, as she made her way toward the library in the back. When she threw open the doors, Clake heard Bellamy let out a quiet gasp. She suppressed a smile when she saw that his eyes were wide as he did his best to take in all of the grand space.

The room was three stories tall with ancient artifacts and magical equipment in displays dotted throughout the space. The room was open with a stained glass window at the top of the third story and balconies on each level looking down over the main floor with rolling ladders to take you from shelf to shelf. But by far the most impressive part was the books.

While her father’s family, the Griffins, had a long lineage in their own right, it was her mother’s side where her magic really came from. The Sontheil’s were a long line of witches and warlocks, all dedicated to the craft, collecting books and artifacts through the ages. If there was a magical text on demons of spirits or spells, it was likely here.

Clarke grinned at Bellamy’s reaction and elbowed him lightly in his ribs. “You might want to close your mouth before you start drooling.”

“Can you blame me?” he said, still taking it in. “There must be a million books in here.”

“Closer to three million actually,” Abby said with a self-satisfied smile, “but who’s counting?”

Clarke laughed when Bellamy tripped. So he was a bit of a book nerd. Interesting. She filed that little piece of information away, enjoying learning new things about the man who was turning out to be much more than she had imagined.

“So,” Abby said, leading them to a large table with several tomes and maps already open and spread across its surface, “from what I have gathered, this affliction on the fear and essence of Halloween Town started around three weeks ago. The veil between our worlds has been thinning, as it does near every Samhain and Halloween. However, the deterioration is much quicker and more complete than normal.”

“It sounds like the energy from the mortal world is almost leaking into ours and overtaking it,” Clarke said, examining her mother’s notes. “But I don’t understand how. The veil was arguably at its thinnest last year after Jack went between worlds and this didn’t happen. Even with Jack bringing Christmas here it certainly didn’t cause people’s behavior to change or people to go missing.”

“You’re right,” Abby said, as she flipped through a book before setting it down in front of the pair, “but look at this. On this page, it talks about energy manipulation and phased shifting of that energy from one location to another. It seems that there's a possibility that the magical energy of the town could be getting drained out and replaced with the neutral energy or the mortal realm. But it doesn't happen on its own and it isn’t easy.”

“Are you saying someone did this on purpose?” Bellamy asked, incredulous

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Mr. Blake,” she confirmed with a solemn nod. “And not just anyone. This is powerful magic. Only a very skilled witch or warlock could pull this off. Aside from the ones in this room I can only think of a couple of others in this town who would be capable of this kind of magic.”

“That means,” Clarke said, frowning at the page before her, “that either it’s coming from outside, which feels unlikely, or we have a traitor among us.”

“There’s more,” Abby said. “If my calculations are right, it seems that we have until sundown on Halloween to reverse this or there is a risk that it will become permanent.”

“But that’s in two days!” Clarke exclaimed.

“I know,” Abby replied, “that’s what has me so worried.”

Clarke sighed. “Well I don’t know how much more help we can be here,” she said, turning to Bellamy. “What do you think? Do you want to look through some of the books or would you rather go out into town and do some investigating there.”

Bellamy looked around, almost disappointed. “As much as I would love to stay in this library, I doubt we are going to find any more than what your mother already has.”

Clarke looked down at the map her mother had drawn of where there had been reports of unusually normal behavior or changes to the scenery. She bit her lip. There seemed to be an unusual amount of activity over in the southwest corner of the town. She knew that area.

“I think I might have a good idea of where to start,” she said, pointing at a building on the map. “Do you recognize this building, Bellamy?”

He looked at the map and frowned. “I don’t think so,” he said. “What is it?”

“That,” she said, “is the CWWR, otherwise known as the Center for Witch and Warlock Relations. Essentially, each of the different factions here in Halloween Town has a sort of meeting place they use, somewhere for events, planning, stuff like that. So that one is for magic users.”

“So do you think whoever is doing this is operating out of there?” he asked.

“I think it’s a possibility,” Clarke said.

“That seems like as good a place as any to start,“ Abby said. “Why don’t you two go check it out. I’m going to keep trying to see if there is a way to reverse it just in case whoever or whatever cast it can’t be found. I just hope we can solve this in time.”

“Sounds good,” Clarke said. “I’ll check back in later.”

Clarke turned away and began her portal spell to bring them to the town square, close to the CWWR. Bellamy stepped through first but she paused a moment, turning to her mom before going through.

“I know you don’t need luck,” Abby said with a smile that did not reach her eyes, “but I’ll just say, be careful and keep each other safe.”

“Thanks, Mom,” she said. “See you soon.”

As Clarke stepped through the portal she looked around and it felt like a rock dropped into her stomach. Things had gotten much worse in the short time she and Bellamy had been gone. 

The blood fountain in the center of town now glinted with sparkling clean water and was decorated with flowers and ivy as opposed to skulls and ghostly fog. All of the buildings were bright with warm light spilling from their windows and all of the trees lining the street were suddenly lively and full of fall colors. And worst of all, nearly all the people she saw had changed.

Instead of goblins and ghouls with hunched backs and demons with no shadow, now the lane was filled with beings who looked very nearly human. And every face looked blank and tired.

“Clarke,” Bellamy said coming up to her side, voice thick and shaky, “something isn’t right here. I don’t like how the air smells. It kind of reminds me of the village we grew up in out in the mortal world but it’s tainted. It’s like something is missing.”

“I know what you mean,” Clarke replied. “The energy is all wrong. It’s like there is this void. Normally energy is vibrant, with reds and purples and blues and greens. But now everything just feels... grey.”

Clarke turned and looked at the building behind her. It was once the creepiest building in town, with spiraling towers, dark bricks that appeared to be crumbling, boarded up windows, and a perpetual thunder cloud overhead. But now it looked like nothing more than a grey building with an inviting sign welcoming all to enter. There was something very wrong indeed.

“It’s definitely coming from in there,” Clarke said.

“Maybe I should go check it out,” Bellamy said.

“You’re crazy if you think I’m letting you go in there alone,” she said with a scoff.

Bellamy grinned, despite the grim nature of the day. “Why princess,” he snarked, “it almost sounds like you’re worried about me.”

Clarke knew she was blushing but didn’t waver. “And what if I am?”

Bellamy’s smile softened and he tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I appreciate you being worried,” he told her. “I’m worried about you too, though. I know we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot but, I care about you. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

Bellamy traced a finger down her cheek and Clarke smiled, covering his hand with her own, leaning in a bit. She could have this, one moment. “We may not have had the best start of things,” she said, ” but I like where we are now. You know I trust you, right?”

“That’s good to hear,” Bellamy said, cheeky again.

“But like I said,” Clarke continued, straightening, “you are not doing this alone. Besides, which of us has magic?”

“Alright,” he said. “God, you really are stubborn. Fine. But stay behind me.”

“Deal,” Clarke grinned. “And Bell, when this is all over…” she trailed off, not sure how to say what she was feeling, what she wanted him to know.

But Bellamy smiled and Clarke knew that he felt it too. “I know,” he said with a wink, “maybe we can finally get that drink.”

Clarke let out a breath and nodded, kissing him on the cheek before she could think better of it. His answering blush was worth it.

They both turned toward the building and strode in. At the entrance, Bellamy took the lead as Clarke put up a silencing charm on their feet and a twenty-five-foot detection spell around them in case anyone was invisible or tried to sneak up on them from behind.

As they went through the halls, the building was suspiciously empty and quiet. “This isn’t right,” Clarke whispered. “Normally this place would be crawling with witches and warlocks, especially this time of year. I’ve never seen it this empty.”

“Well,” Bellamy said dryly, “at least we know we’re in the right spot.”

Clarke snorted and rolled her eyes. “Let’s just keep moving.”

They checked each of the rooms they came upon. Though there were still pockets of magic, a few mysterious shadows, and at least one jack o lantern, overall the building seemed empty. There was no sign of the plans they had been working on for Halloween or people working on crafts for the decorations. The classrooms that normally had young practitioners working on their spellwork were empty and unused. Even the small shop that carried a mix of hard to procure ingredients like crows beaks and belladonna alongside ready-made spells and charm bags now looked more like a lunchroom with canned drinks and sandwiches.

Finally, they reached the center’s auditorium. This large theatre was typically used for demonstrations, lectures, and even a party or two. But now it was empty save for one person standing in the middle of the stage, hunched over a table.

When the man turned, Clarke gasped and everything began to slot into place.

“Murphy?” Bellamy snarled, claws beginning to extend and eyes turning yellow. “But we were friends. What have you done?”

“Bellamy,” Murphy said with a smile, “I am so glad you’re here, Clarke too.”

“Murphy,” Clarke said, shaking her head in disbelief, “it was you? This whole time?”

“Of course it was me,” he said with a sneer. “Who else in this town would have the vision or the power to make such a sweeping change so quickly? Other than you or your mother perhaps, but you are both too obsessed with Halloween and magic for that to ever happen.”

Clarke grabbed Bellamy’s hand, trying to keep him calm. She knew he was moments away from snapping. “Murphy,” she said, “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? What are you even doing?”

“Isn't it obvious?” he said.

Before he could say more, Bellamy charged towards the stage but Murphy was ready and sent a spell Bellamy’s way, suspending him in midair, gasping for breath.

Clarke sent a spell of her own, but the curse energy in the room and her protection spells was draining her. She couldn’t keep it up for too long. She just had to use enough to keep Bellamy alive.

“Tsk tsk, Bellamy,” he said. “And Clarke. Can’t keep your guard dog in check? It would be a shame if I had to kill him. He is the reason I’m doing this after all. My inspiration. He of all people should appreciate this.”

Bellamy coughed and sputtered, voice barely able to make words. “Where the hell is my sister?”

Murphy rolled his eyes, sending Bellamy across the auditorium and crashing into a wall. “Sit,” he mocked, “stay.”

Clarke tried to rush over to Bellamy, bleeding on the floor and not moving, but Murphy sent a spell her way this time freezing her in place. “Please, Murphy,” she begged. “Just let me save him.”

“Don’t worry, Clarke,” Murphy drawled, “he’ll be fine. And the longer he’s here the more he will succumb to my curse. You all will eventually.”

“I still don’t understand,” she said.

“Of course you don’t,” Murphy spat, “perfect princess Clarke Griffin. Daddy was an important warlock who built this very center, mommy descended from the most powerful line of witches of all time. Even now your stepfather is almost as important as Jack himself! How could you understand how it feels to be an outcast, to be left out.”

Murphy began to pace and his magic began to fade. If she kept him talking, maybe she could get herself free.

“Murphy,” she said, “you aren’t an outcast. Think about how many friends you have.”

“Please,” he said, venom lacing his words. “No one cares about me. You didn’t even notice that I haven’t been around since that fight with Bellamy at Monty and Jasper’s party.”

“You’re right,” she admitted. “I won’t act like I have been a good friend to you in the last few years and I am sorry for that. But you know who did notice? Raven. She knew something was wrong because she hadn’t seen you and you two always make time for each other.”

Murphy wavered slightly before shaking it off. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, but his voice was no longer steady.

As he walked around the space the spell continued to lose strength. Just a minute or two longer and Clarke would be free. She sent a silent prayer to Morgana for strength and to help Bellamy hold on. “You said that Bellamy was your inspiration before,” Clarke asked, genuinely curious. “What did you mean?”

Murphy laughed humorlessly. “I’ll admit,” he said, “that was a bit dramatic of me. But it was more what he was saying. About how our whole life has revolved around Halloween and nothing more. All we think about, all we do, it all ties back to Halloween. But did you ever stop to think about why?”

Murphy continued his pacing as he spoke. Clarke couldn’t decide if he was truly talking to her now or more trying to convince himself.

“The truth is, the mortals don’t need us,” Murphy said. “Aren’t you tired of having your whole existence be wrapped up in this? Just some stupid holiday? Even Jack got tired of it last year. But he thought too small. He just wanted us to focus on a different holiday. I want more than that. I want my life to be about more than that.”

Clarke’s heart hurt at his words. “But Murphy,” she argued, “our lives are about more than that. We have friends, family, love. Yes, a big part of what we do is about Halloween but that’s because we love it. This town, the people in it; Halloween is just a part of that. Don’t you understand?”

“How can you say that when even the way our town looks is wrapped up in what people think is scary or creepy?” Murphy stopped his pacing and stared her down. “But the mortals? They get to have these full, complete lives that have nothing to do with the holidays outside of maybe a week or two before the holiday itself. I want that. I want a real life. So I’m bringing their world to us.”

Clarke felt bad for him. She didn’t know why he couldn’t see how much more they all were than just a holiday. “But Murphy,” she said, “don’t you see that’s not what’s happening? People here love what makes them monsters and witches and demons. We don’t celebrate Halloween because it’s an obligation. We do it because we love it. You used to love it too. Don't you remember when we were kids? You and I coming up with ways to prank people by levitating their food or making the stairs suddenly invisible? We learned our magic together, right here in this center.”

Murphy smiled a bit. “That was fun,” he admitted reluctantly as he ran a hand through his already messy hair.

“It still is fun,” she told him as the spell he had cast nearly faded. “It isn’t too late. We can fix this, you and me together. Just please, please let me save him. You think our lives are all about scaring people but they aren’t. I know mine isn’t. We are just as capable of normal lives as the mortals. Like you with Raven. Or me with Bellamy.”

“It’s too late,” Murphy said, voice breaking. “They’ll never forgive me now.”

“I love him, Murphy,” she pleaded, “or, at least, I could love him. But if you strip the magic from this place, our home, all that will be left is a shell of who we were. And everything we all could have loved will be gone. Is that what you want for us? For Raven? For you?”

Murphy faltered and turned back to his work. Just then the spell dropped and Clarke used the opportunity to freeze Murphy as he tried to turn around at the sound of her movements and rushed over to Bellamy, gathering him up in her arms just as he was coming to, cupping his cheek in her hand.

He grinned up at her, bloody but alive. “Brave princess.”

Clarke gave a watery laugh and shook her head. “Don’t move,” she said. “Let me heal you.”

With a few spells, she was able to heal most of his cuts and scan him for any internal injury. He would be alright—thank the gods. She wanted to get him back to her shop as soon as she could to get him some herbs that would help with most of the pain, but luckily anything wrong was reversible.

“You’re gonna be ok,” she told him, pushing his hair back from his face and cleaning a bit of blood from his temple.

“Of course I am,” he said as he threaded their fingers together. “I’ve got you here to keep me safe. What else could I need?”

Helping him up, he winced slightly and leaned on her for stability, but otherwise, he seemed strong. Thankfully, werewolves could withstand a lot and heal quickly. They made their way toward the stage where a sheepish looking Murphy was still frozen.

“If I let you go can we just talk?” Clarke asked.

Murphy nodded and she dropped the spell. He sagged back into a chair behind him.

“I know things haven’t always been easy for you,” Clarke said, “but this is not the way to fix that. Please reverse the spell. We can get the town back to normal and save Halloween. And once we do, let’s try our best to make the next year of our lives better. And not just for Halloween, but for each other.”

Murphy looked between her and Bellamy and sighed. “What if I’m not good for anything other than Halloween?”

Bellamy gritted his teeth a moment before he spoke. “Look,” he said begrudgingly, “you have been a good friend to me since I got here. One of the only ones in the beginning. And you have been kind to my sister—barring all of this. You are good for more than Halloween. I’m sorry if I made you think what you all did here didn’t matter. It was my own bias. But Halloween is important and so are you.”

Murphy looked at his spell books and maps and pictures scattered behind him. There were images of Halloween’s past, of the mortal realm, lists of people. And in the middle of it all, a picture of Raven that he touched for just a moment before turning back to them.

“Screw it,” he said. “Let’s be the good guys.”

Clarke laughed and slung her free arm around Murphy. “Yeah,” she said, “good guys. That’s what we are.”

He laughed and smacked her hand. She smacked his shoulder right back.

The trio made their way outside and looked around. She felt Bellamy tense in pain beside her but she rubbed a hand along his side. He looked at her and smiled.

“It’s ok,” she told him. “We got this.”

She helped Bellamy get situated on a nearby bench before she and Murphy made their way to the center of the square. Murphy took a last look around and let out a deep breath.

“You ready for this, Griffin?” he asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered.

He quickly explained the steps of the counter curse. While not particularly complicated it would take a massive amount of magic. Glancing at Bellamy, she allowed herself to be strengthened by him and she smiled.

As they started the spell, a large cloud of purple smoke rose up into the air before raining back down on the town. As it did, things began to shift, slowly at first and then faster and faster. The sky grew dark again, the streets covered in deathly fog. Slowly the buildings fell back into disrepair, the spider webs strung themselves between the light poles, and the sound of distant owls could be heard.

Little by little, the town that she had always loved, her home, came back to what it was meant to be. And as it did, the square once again began to be filled with all their ghoulish friends. Clarke smiled as she spotted Maya in the distance on the steps of the library looking confused but happy and then Levitt by the newly restored fountain. One by one everyone they loved came back.

As the spell faded out, a voice rang out from the distance.

“Murphy!” Raven said, quickly making her way over to them and throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re ok, I was really worried about you. Hell, I’m glad I’m ok. I’m not even sure where I’ve been. Where were you?”

Bellamy made his way over to them, his sister under his arm smiling. “He was helping Clarke save us all.”

Raven gave him a look like she didn’t quite believe it but then shrugged. “Well if that’s the case, since you’re apparently a hero and all,” she said before kissing Murphy soundly, Octavia making gagging noises beside them before running over to Levitt. Murphy flipped her off without looking up making Clarke and Bellamy laugh.

“We did good here,” Clarke said, looking around as they walked further into the square, examining the effects of the spell as it settled into the cracks and crevices of the world.

“You did good here,” Bellamy said, pulling her close to his side.

She grinned. “I really did, didn’t I?”

Bellamy rolled his eyes. “So humble too.”

“Obviously,” Clarke said, pulling back when Bellamy winced.

With the town now restored, Clarke remembered his injuries. “Let’s get you back to my shop so I can fix you up properly.”

“Alright,” he said. Still, he paused for a moment before pulling her in front of him with his hands on her waist. “Can I ask you a question first?”

“Sure,” she said.

“So,” he began with a grin, “you think you could love me, huh?”

Clarke flushed and tried to pull away, embarrassed.

Bellamy just laughed and pulled her in again. “It’s ok,” he said, “because I think I might love you too.”

Clarke smiled and then raised up on her tiptoes, wrapping her hands behind his neck and finally, finally kissing him.

His lips were warm and firm beneath hers and his energy mixed with her own, happy to have found a place to call home. She lost herself in him, just for a moment. She could have kissed him forever. However, they did pull back after a moment because she really did need to patch him up. He rested his forehead on hers and she smiled.

It was ok. They had time.

He dropped one final kiss in her hair, both of them smiling stupidly and unwilling to let the other go. They made their way to the shop, waving and smiling at their friends going by. The town was saved. And on top of that, she got the guy.

“Oh,” Bellamy said with a smile, “and Clarke?”

“Yes, Bellamy?” she asked, squeezing his side.

His smile grew as he leaned down to her ear.

“Happy Halloween.”


End file.
